{"id":121,"date":"2017-09-19T02:14:28","date_gmt":"2017-09-19T02:14:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/?p=121"},"modified":"2017-09-19T02:14:28","modified_gmt":"2017-09-19T02:14:28","slug":"why-do-we-mute-our-instruments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/assignments\/everyday-technologies\/why-do-we-mute-our-instruments\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do we &#8216;mute&#8217; our instruments?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In one of Prokofiev\u2019s most famous pieces, Romeo and Juliet, the horns begin Montagues and Capulets with sustained notes, becoming more and more dissonant as voices are added, leading up to a fortissimo chord with the entire orchestra. The one exception and peculiarity to this chord, is the pianissimo \u2018con sordino\u2019 (with mute) string section. Once the blaring brass and woodwinds\u2019 chord dissipates, the strings continue their sustained pianissimo, which is made even quieter because of Prokofiev\u2019s usage of mutes. Prokofiev\u2019s Romeo and Juliet is famously known for the beginning and its muted string section which not only dampens the sound, but also adds a unique timbre to the string section.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Romeo and Juliet Suite: Montagues and Capulets\" width=\"525\" height=\"394\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/97aYNBjpd40?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-18-at-8.00.34-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-125 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-18-at-8.00.34-PM-227x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"299\" height=\"395\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-18-at-8.00.34-PM-227x300.png 227w, https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-18-at-8.00.34-PM.png 647w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 299px) 100vw, 299px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mutes were first notated in music as early as 1607 in The Toccata from Claudio Monteverdi\u2019s opera L\u2019Orfeo in the trumpets and were first notated in the string section of Jean-Baptiste Lully\u2019s Act II of Armide in 1686. However, mutes did not become as commonly used until the 19th century and by the 20th century, mutes were used very often. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are a few different kinds of mutes for the string family. The most commonly used and referred to in music is a simple rubber device that is attached to the top of the bridge. There is also a practice mute which is usually used to practice in the late hours of the night when one is procrastinating for a lesson. This mute is more dense and dampens the sound even more and is not usually used in performance. When the mute is used, it dampens the vibrations of the instrument and also suppresses certain harmonics of the instrument and creates higher harmonic sounds. This shows that not only does it \u2018mute\u2019 the sound in volume but also changes the timbre and tone color of the instrument. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Originally, string mutes were wooden and could not be left on the instrument during \u2018senza sordino\u2019 passages. In 1947, Jascha Heifetz and Henryk Kaston created a new model of the mute which was carefully designed with a metal clamp inside the rubber casing which let the musician decide how \u2018muted\u2019 to make his\/her sound. The farther down the bridge you pushed the mute, the more muted it became. It was also designed to allow the musician to choose what strings to mute. One could put them between the two higher strings to dampen the higher register, between the lower for the lower register, or in the middle for a balanced sound. This \u2018Heifetz mute\u2019 became extremely popular especially because of its name, under the great violinist Jascha Heifetz. This model is no longer manufactured but a different, less expensive and modified version is still sold. The original Heifetz mutes now sell for $500 and are extremely limited. You can buy the original model or buy a Heifetz mute that he used himself for $25,000\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theheifetzmute.com\">here!<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>I do not mean to brag, but this is a picture I took of an original model Heifetz mute that my previous professor (Toby Appel) let me use for my senior recital two years ago. He had purchased this when the original models first came out and were not $500. <a href=\"http:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG_0729.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-126 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG_0729-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG_0729-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG_0729-768x1024.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the Romantic era, composers were searching for a new sound in the orchestra and started to implement the mute. The mute is often seen simply as a tool to make a softer sound. If this were the case, composers could have easily reduced the orchestra or notated a softer dynamic. Instead, the mute creates a darker tone that creates a very particular somber sound. This \u2018new technique\u2019 for Romantic composers was, what it seems to be, the beginning of extended technique. Using tools and different technologies to produce different sounds and playing instruments even beyond what it was originally intended to, was and is still currently intriguing musicians and pushing heir creative capabilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Sources:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/insync\/mute-musical-instrument\/<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theheifetzmute.com\">http:\/\/www.theheifetzmute.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=_tkPAAAAYAAJ&amp;pg=PA190&amp;lpg=PA190&amp;dq=mute+timbre&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=jjv4nbaS9Y&amp;sig=V62CNNqmMsiWeH2Cg3SZ5WXlVH4&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiA7seE9K_WAhUG5iYKHT8KDQU4ChDoAQg3MAM#v=onepage&amp;q=mute%20timbre&amp;f=false\">https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=_tkPAAAAYAAJ&amp;pg=PA190&amp;lpg=PA190&amp;dq=mute+timbre&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=jjv4nbaS9Y&amp;sig=V62CNNqmMsiWeH2Cg3SZ5WXlVH4&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiA7seE9K_WAhUG5iYKHT8KDQU4ChDoAQg3MAM#v=onepage&amp;q=mute%20timbre&amp;f=false\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In one of Prokofiev\u2019s most famous pieces, Romeo and Juliet, the horns begin Montagues and Capulets with sustained notes, becoming more and more dissonant as voices are added, leading up to a fortissimo chord with the entire orchestra. The one exception and peculiarity to this chord, is the pianissimo \u2018con sordino\u2019 (with mute) string section. &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/assignments\/everyday-technologies\/why-do-we-mute-our-instruments\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Why do we &#8216;mute&#8217; our instruments?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-everyday-technologies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":131,"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121\/revisions\/131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}